I spoke to a fair number of players before the season started and they were pumped and ready to go. Winning does make a difference, and we are a young team that is prone to mistakes at times. But we have won a lot of close games that we more than likely would have lost in prior seasons.

Pete has a different approach than the previous regime and it’s working this year, and should work in subsequent years. It’s also a good move that he retained Whitney Davis Showalter as the director of operations. She knows most of the alumni and donors who support the program.